A New Day
The following morning, Claire woke up feeling better than she did the day prior. The conversation they had last night with Selena gave her a sense of direction, and she felt more confident about what to do next.
It was still early in the morning when Claire woke up, so she quietly went downstairs, tiptoeing carefully on each step. She wanted to surprise Emma and John with breakfast. However, to her surprise, John was already awake and moving in the kitchen when she arrived.
"Good morning, John. I didn't expect you to be up this early." Claire greeted giggling softly.
"Good morning. I'm just getting some food ready for Emma before she wakes up. What are you doing up right now?" John asked.
"Well, for mostly the same reason as you. I wanted to make breakfast for both of you. Have you already started on her food? Maybe I can help you out."
"No, I was actually just trying decide on what to make. It's been hard figuring out what she can eat these days. I've only had luck with plain bread or boiled eggs." John said with a sigh.
"Hmmm. What do you guys have available? Do you have oatmeal? I might be able to whip something up that she can digest."
"I believe we do have oatmeal, or at least I know we have oats. Let me check what other ingredients we have to go with it. Do you need anything specific?" John asked.
"Just the basics, butter, brown sugar, milk, and honey. If you have any nuts or fruits, I can add those too! Oh, and if you have cinnamon and vanilla, those would be great too."
"I think we have everything then. Let me get it all out for you." John said as he started whizzing around the kitchen quickly, pulling ingredients from various cupboards in the kitchen. "Here you go. You should be all set now." John finished as he arranged everything neatly on the counter near the stove.
"Thanks John. Would you like me to make some for you as well? Or would you prefer something different for breakfast?"
"No, I'm ok. I had a little something earlier."
"Alright, then I'll just make some for me and Em." Claire said as she evaluated the ingredients in front of her.
On the counter, was old-fashioned rolled oats and plant-based milk. Emma is lactose intolerant. For toppings there was a wide variety of berries available, along with walnuts. Claire took a moment to consider a good recipe for the available ingredients and then started cooking.
She first added oats, water, salt, and cinnamon to the saucepan and brought them up to a gentle simmer. She then let them simmer until the water was absorbed by the oats while occasionally stirring. During that time, the saucepan had become incredibly fragrant. The warm and spicy aroma of the cinnamon was incredibly appetizing. Claire could feel her stomach start to respond to the smell.
"Wow, that smells really good." John said, moving closer to the stove. He had been observing Claire's actions up until this point.
"Yes, it does." Claire said with a nod. "Cinnamon is the perfect aromatic. It really stimulates the senses."
"I agree. I think I might also be regretting telling you not to make me a portion." John chuckled.
Claire smiled in response. "Well good thing I decided to make extra. There's no way I would leave you out."
"Sweet. Thanks!" John responded in surprise. His face brightened noticeably.
Suppressing her hunger, then carefully added the milk and honey to oats, continuing to stir at regular intervals.
"Is there a reason why you added the milk now? Instead of just using it in the beginning with the water?" John asked.
"Oh, yeah. The reason why I added now is because if you added the milk at the beginning, the oats turn out kind of gummy." Claire said while scrunching her face imagining gummy textured oatmeal.
"Ah, I see. Emma, definitely, would not enjoy that." John said while stoking his chin, making a mental note.
While the oatmeal was simmering, Claire placed the walnuts in a skillet over a medium flame on a separate burner. She stirred them frequently, until they were golden and gave off a sweet earthy smell. Both John and Claire's stomachs started rumbling uncontrollably.
John expected the meal to be simple and boring, but it was becoming increasingly mouthwatering. He could feel himself growing expectant for the taste.
After about five minutes, Claire took the oatmeal and the walnuts off the heat. She then quickly stirred brown sugar, vanilla, and another tiny dash of cinnamon into the oatmeal. Letting the oatmeal stand, Claire moved on to prepare the other toppings. She washed and dried the berries, and then neatly sliced the strawberries.
At this time, John could hardly hold himself back. "Is it ready yet?" he asked, looking at Claire with a greedy expression.
"Almost. I just need to get everything plated." Claire grinned. She grabbed three bowls from the cupboard and started filling each bowl with oatmeal. She then delicately arranged the berries on top, finishing by crushing the toasted walnuts over everything. "And done!" Claire said with a smile.
"Oh good!" John said excitedly. He grabbed two of the bowls and carried them to the table. It seemed as though he had an extra bounce in his step.
"Let me go check on Emma and then I should be ready to eat." John said as he hurriedly left the room.
Claire continued to smile as she watched him leave. It was nice to see someone get excited over such a simple meal. 'Derek never reacted like that to anything I did for him.' She thought as her smile slowly fell. 'I should really stop letting Derek ruin my mood.'
Claire re-focused her attention on the beautifully arranged bowl of oatmeal in front of her. She carried it to the dining room table and took a picture of it on her phone. She took another photo of the bowl, this time an overhead shot capturing the colorful medley of berries resting on top of the oatmeal.
Sitting down, she opened a photo editing app and did quick color correction. She already had a preset filter, so the changes only took her a few seconds. After confirming that she liked the colors in the picture, Claire posted it on her InstaPost captioning it with 'Simple comforts go a long way'. She set aside her phone and waited for John to return.